Stabilizing means for suspended vehicles



H. MERCIERQ STABILIZING MEANS FOR SUSPENDED VEHlCLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. iv I921.

Patented July 18, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. MERCIER.

STABILIZING MEANS FOR SUSPENDED VEHlCLES.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ, 1921.

1 ,41285002. 1 Patented July 18, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Ina/enter.

HENRI MERCIER, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

STA IBILIZING MEANS FOR- SUSPENDED VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1922.

Application filed August 1, 1921. Serial No. 489,017.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI Mnnornn, engineer, citizen of the French Republ c, residing at Paris, Department of the Seme, 1n France, and having P. 0. address 6 Rue Foucault, in the said city, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Stabilizing Means for Suspended Vehicles (for which I have filed a main application in France, May 14th, 1914, and an addition filed June 3rd, 1920); and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in suspension devices and more particularly to vehicles which are subjected to rolling. It is the object of this invention to facilitate the arrangement of the apparatus on the vehicles, so as to reduce the stresses to which the parts are exposed during the rolling, and moreover to reduce the efl'eots of rolling by cancelling or even reversing them.

These results are obtained by securing the suspensions to the axle, in such a manner that their axes always remain at the same angle with the latter. In that way, a point of support is obtained, very favourably placed at the upper part of the suspensions,

all

which is utilized for supporting the chassis by means of an auxiliary known system of lateral suspension.

The cancelling, or the reversing of the effects of rolling is obtained, by a set of opposite forces taken from any desired suitable source of energy, hydraulic, electric, pneumatic or the like. A .few secondary peculiarities will also be described in the description.

The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a view of the device according to the invention, applied to the axle of a motor car.

Figure 2 is aview similar to that of Figure 1, but with the'device in a deflected position.

Figure 3 shows some modifications of the device applied to the chassis, and the body of the vehicle, the device being shown in the position of horizontal equilibrium, certain connections having been modified in order to facilitate the fitting to certain vehicles.

Figure 4 shows a stabilizing device according to the invention, in horizontal equilibrium position; this device corrects the effects of rolling by opposite effects produced by the forces of inertia.

Figure 5 is a view of a device similar to that of Figure 1, but to which has been added a stabilizing device according to the invention.

Figure 6 is the same view as that of Figure 5, but in a deflected position; if this figure is compared to Figure 2, it will be seen that the direction of rolling is reversed therein and takes place in a direction favourable to the stability of the car, and

Figure 7 gives by way of example the plan view of a servo-motor acting in the case of the device shown in Figures 5 and 6. The energy is here obtained from the engine of the car; the mechanism being controlled by a pendulum relay.

Throughout the drawings, the same parts have the same reference figures. The centre of gravity is indicated by the letter G.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the wheels are indicated by the numerals 1 and 2, the axle by 3, the parts of the suspensions, secured to the axle or to the chassis, are indicated by 4 and 5; 6 and 7 indicate the suspension parts connected to the chassis or to the body by auxiliary lateral suspen- SlOIlS.

Although the axes of the suspensions are shown vertical, they need in certain cases be neither vertical nor parallel. The frame supporting the body, is indicated by 8, the shackles by 10, which need not be parallel, and 11 indicates the device which comprises a guide and a member extending upwardly from a laterally movable structure, comprising substantially a jointed quadrilateral figure, swingable about the lower-most transverse center of the vehicle.

The working of this device is as follows: When no force tending to produce rolling, is acting on the vehicle, the frame 8 occupies the position shown in Figure 1. Due to the action of centrifugal force operating on the vehicle when it rolls the frame 8 assumes the position shown in Figure 2; the device 11 then operates and pivots about the point 0 or aboutpoints which are very close to the latter. The centrifugal force is thus counteracted not only by the reactions of the suspensions themselves, but also, and chiefly, by the horizontal reactions due to the inclination of the shackles. The rolling is thus greatly reduced, without the quality of the suspension being affected to a perceptible extent.

The modification shown in Figure 3 comprises, in addition to the parts common to Figures 1 and 2, the following parts.

The body shown at 9 and a device arranged on a cross beam of the frame 8, comprising a link or guide 37 with the centre at 0, in which roll two rollers 38 mounted on a part 39 secured to the socket 40 through which passes a rod 41 secured to the body. This device replaces the jointed quadrilateral figure shown in Figures 1 and 2; when the rollers move, the socket 40 is forced to pass always through the centre 0.

The body 9 rests on the movable parts 6 and 7 of the suspensions, by means of circular tracks 42 and 43 with centres O and O", and of rollers 44 and 45 secured to the body. The link 37 and the rolling tracks 44 and 45, may have a different curvature from that shown, they could have say an elliptic or a parabolic shape or a shape comprising a multiple of curves.

The working of the device shown in Figure 3 is the same as that described for Figures 1 and 2, the shackles 10 being replaced by the system of rollers 44, 45 and rolling tracks 42, 43. The device 11 being replaced, as already stated, by the arrangement comprising 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 which has the advantage of occupying less space and of giving an absolutely correct virtual centre of rotation O. I

The stabilizing device shown in Figure 4, is constituted by the shackles 10 which force the body 9 to pivot about the centre C when centrifugal force acting at G, tends to cause the whole to roll. above G, the body will be inclined relatively to the chassis in the direction opposite to the inclination which the chassis assumes under the action of rolling; the latter is therefore completely or partly compensated.

Figures 5 and 6 are practically the same as Figures 1 and 2, the device 11 works in the same manner, but is controlled by the combined action of a centrifugal relay and a servo-motor, through a toothed quadrant 13 secured to the device 11 and pivoted at 12,

andthrough a pinion 14 driven by the servomotor, which is shown in Figure 7 and which will be described before explaining the working of the device illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. i i

In Figure 7 is shown the pinion 14, the quadrant 13 and the joint 12 of Figures 5 and 6. The pinion is keyed to the shaft 15 of the servo-motor, which is supported at one of its ends by a bearing 16 in which it can also slide, and at its other end, by a second bearing 17 which acts as a nut for the end of the shaft which, being screw- The point C being chosen threaded, engages with the said bearing. When the shaft 15 rotates, it moves either in one or the other direction, according to the direction of rotation, and carries with it the pinion 14, without ceasing to drive the quadrant 13; the motor is shown at 18, a toothed pinion 19 keyed to its shaft drives by a chain 20 a toothed wheel 21 mounted on a sleeve 22 so as to slide on a key, the said sleeve being mounted loose and sliding on the shaft 15. The wheel 21 is held fixed in space, in the plane of the pinion 19, by a suitable support not shown; and drives by means of the sleeve 22 a bevel wheel 23 to which it is secured. The bevel wheel 23 rotates in the same direction as the wheel 21. The movement is transmitted by the bevel pinion 25 to a second bevel wheel 24 secured to a sleeve 27 of a claw coupling, the direction of rotation of the said wheel 24 being in the reverse direction to that of the wheel 23. The pinion 25 is mounted so as to slide on a square shaft 26 secured in a bracket which is not shown. The wheel 24 and its sleeve slide on the shaft 15 and rotate loosely thereon. The sleeve 22 also comprises claws, but in the opposite direction to that of the claws of the sleeve 27. These claws engage with the opposite claws provided on nuts 28 and 29 secured to the shaft 15. The arrangement comprising 27. 24, 25, 23, 22 move as a whole by sliding on the shaft 15, so that the sleeves 27 and 22 engage with the nuts 28 or 29, according to the position of the arrangement.

A pendulum relay is shown at 30, its rod swings about a. spindle 31 under the action of the centrifugal force which tends to produce the rolling motion. The pendulum 30 causes the system 27, 24, 25, 23, 22 to slide on the shaft 15 by means of a roller 32 secured to the end of the lever 33 which is itself secured to the pendulum rod, thus producing, according to circumstances, the engagement of the sleeve 27 with the nut 28, or the engagement of the sleeve 22 with the nut 29. The pendulum is held in its mean position by a spring 34 which is secured to it and its oscillations are limited by means of the stops 35, 36.

As already stated, the device 11, in Figures 5 and 6, works in the same way as that shown in Figures 1 and 2, but it is exposed to the effects of the mechanism just described. The angle formed by the frame 8 and the device 11, with the normal, as shown in Figure 5, become sharp or obtuse, according to the direction of the centrifugal force, thus producing a stabilizing effect favourable to the stability of the vehicle. When the centrifugal force ceases to act on the pendulum relay, the servo-motor becomes operative and replaces the parts as shown in Figure 5.

When the chassis is int. horizontal position and not exposed to any centrifugal force, the pendulum 30 is in the mean position shown in Figure 7. The motor in rotating drives the wheel 21, the wheel 23 and the wheel 24 in the direction indicated by the arrows; the shaft 15 does not rotate, the wheels being loose. When the chassis is inclined under the action of a centrifugal force, the pendulum 30 moves away from its mean position and strikes 35 or 36, according to the direction of the centrifugal'force. The roller 32 secured to the pendulum, acts on the system 27, 24, 25, 23, 22 which it causes to slide on the shaft 15, and engages, according to the direction of sliding, the sleeves 27, 28 or the sleeves 22, 29. The shaft 15 is then driven, and drives the quadrant 13 through the pinion 14 in one or in the other direction, thus roducing the desired stabilizing motion. ut the shaft 15 cannot rotate without moving longitudinally, owing to its screw-threaded part engaging with the bearing nut 17 The direction of the said thread is such that the nut 28 or 29 which is in engagement with the corresponding sleeves 27 or 22, is moved back in the desired direction so as to be automatically disengaged. The movement of the shaft 15 stops therefore, and the frame remains in the inclined position of the desired stabilizing effect as long as the centrifugal force continues to act. If the said force decreases or disappears, the pendulum moves inthe opposite direction under the action of thespring 34, again driving the system 27, 24, 25, 23, 22, causing the shaft 15) to rotate in the opposite direction and thereby straightening the frame.

The examples given of a servo-motor operated by the engine and a pendulum relay, could both be replaced by similar mechanism, the necessary energy being taken from any desired source of power, instead of from the engine, the relay could be for instance of the electromagnetic type.

Claims:

1. In a stabilizing device for vehicles, the combination with the main suspension devices of said vehicle, of auxiliary laterally movable suspension devices interposed between said main suspension devices and the body of the vehicle, a rigid member extending downwardly from the vehicle body intermediate the lateral suspensions, a laterally movable structure swingable about the lowermost transverse center of the vehicle and means telescopically connecting said structure with said rigid member.

2. In a stabilizing device for vehicles, the combination with the main suspension devices of said vehicle, of auxiliary laterally movable suspension devices comprising shackles connecting the body of the vehicle to the main suspension devices, a rigid member extending downwardly from the body intermediate the lateral suspensions, a laterally movable structure comprising a jointed quadrilateral figure swingable about the lowermost transverse cente of the vehicle, and a member extending upwardly from said quadrilateral figurehaving a telescoping connection with said rigid member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HENRI MERCIER. Vitness ALEXANDRE BERTHOLDE. 

